Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

SARS-CoV-2 cell entry affinity varies across different host species

A new study from India, currently available on the preprint server bioRxiv*, estimated the probability and readiness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to infect cells of different animal species – and revealed many of them that could act as disease carriers.

12 May 2020

Clinical trial to test the efficacy of defibrotide medicine for reducing COVID-19 death rate

The Neurosciences Institute, mixed centre of the Spanish National Research Council and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, have collaborated on the first clinical trial conducted in the world to test whether the defibrotide medicine, which has already been authorized to treat a severe obstruction of the hepatic sinusoidal veins of people who have undergone a bone marrow transplant, can be used as therapy against COVID-19.

12 May 2020

Neovii and Tel Aviv University partner to develop novel COVID-19 vaccine

Ramot, Tel Aviv University's technology transfer company, and Neovii, a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company and a member of Israel-based Neopharm Group, announced today that they have signed a research and license agreement to develop a novel and potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccine.

12 May 2020

Eating one meal high in saturated fat may hinder our ability to focus

Fatty food may feel like a friend during these troubled times, but new research suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate - not great news for people whose diets have gone south while they're working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May 2020

Study illuminates the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals and health systems

In the third week of March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, large hospitals in the Northeast experienced a 26 percent decline in average per-facility revenues based on estimated in-network amounts as compared to the same period in 2019.

12 May 2020

Sanford director receives major grant to advance broad-spectrum antivirals for respiratory diseases

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is pleased to announce that Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., has received a $10.2 million, four-year grant from the Department of Defense to develop and advance broad-spectrum antivirals for respiratory diseases.

12 May 2020

Novel telemedicine platform protects health professionals caring for patients with infectious diseases

Physician-scientists have developed a communication management system built on a telemedicine platform that can help minimize the exposure of health care professionals to highly infectious diseases while still providing personalized patient care, according to a new report published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

12 May 2020

‘No intubation’: Seniors fearful of COVID-19 are changing their living wills

Last month, Minna Buck revised a document specifying her wishes should she become critically ill.

12 May 2020

Millions stuck at home with no plumbing, kitchen or space to stay safe

In nearly half a million American homes, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 isn't as simple as soaping up and singing "Happy Birthday" twice while scrubbing.

12 May 2020

Deciding who can return to work after COVID-19 outbreak recedes

A new paper describes a strategy that could help decide which workers can safely go back to work once a lockdown is easing off. The study, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020, could help to apply required measures for serological testing and income replacement among affected workers with accuracy and completeness.

12 May 2020

Leica Microsystems Donate an Advanced Microscopy System to Charité’s Institute of Virology to Progress Covid-19 Research

Since the start of the current coronavirus outbreak, the Institute of Virology on Campus Charité Mitte, led by Director Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten, has been at the forefront of viral research into SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

From Leica Microsystems GmbH 12 May 2020

Potential for COVID-19 transmission from human eye

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in May 2020 reports the presence of ACE2 receptors in the eye at high concentrations. These molecules are the entry points for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

12 May 2020

Symptomatic COVID-19 patients less likely to be smokers

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages in many parts of the world, a new study shows that smoking may not play a significant role in increasing the severity of illness in these patients. The study is published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020.

12 May 2020

Antiviral cocktail may help treat mild COVID-19 patients

The skyrocketing number of cases due to the coronavirus pandemic has taken a massive toll on the health systems in many countries. Since the advent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), hundred of research teams are racing to find an effective vaccine and treatment to combat the deadly infection. Now, a team of researchers in Hong Kong suggests that combining three existing antivirals may help treat COVID-19 patients.

12 May 2020

Collaborative approach is essential to speed up COVID-19 vaccine candidates, say NIH experts

A harmonized and collaborative approach to the clinical testing, scale-up and distribution of candidate vaccines to prevent COVID-19 is essential, scientific leaders write in a perspective published today in Science.

12 May 2020

Study may reveal why some people are more affected by Covid-19 than others

A group of researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have set-up a clinical study of NHS Healthcare Workers to better understand the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), and why some people are more affected by the virus than others.

12 May 2020

Smart health system to monitor people in COVID-19 quarantine

The global coronavirus pandemic has spread to 187 countries and territories, infecting more than 4.17 million people. Most countries, especially those with a skyrocketing caseload, grapple with a lack of hospital beds and facilities to cater to every patient infected with the virus. Now, a team of researchers may have the solution to this problem – a smart health system to monitor patients who are in home isolation.

12 May 2020

Study: COVID-19 pandemic dominates views of government and politics

The COVID-19 pandemic dominates views of government, politics and virtually all aspects of daily life, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters.

12 May 2020

Parents stress over work and children's wellbeing while in lockdown

As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown and home-schooling have become a monumental challenge for parents across the globe. Now, a new report shows that parents are most stressed about work followed by worries over their children's wellbeing and education while in lockdown.

11 May 2020

Researchers report decline in cancer diagnoses due to COVID-19 crisis

Cancer care has dramatically changed as a result of the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic: many patients have not been going to their GPs, or putting it off, and have been referred to the hospital later.

11 May 2020